Air control for locomotive fire boxes



Sept. 21, 1926. 1,600,280

J. N. GLOVE'R- AIR CONTROL FOR LOCOMOTIVE RE BOXES Fiked Oct. 22, 1925INVENTOR ZYIZGZ VGC- Q ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 21, 1926.

UNITED STATES.

I reaazso PATENT OFFICE,

JAM'E'S NA HAN GLOVER OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

, AIRCONTROL roe LoooMo'rIvE FIRE Boxes.

Y Application medoctoberaa, 1925. serial No. 64,231.

My present invention relates generally to locomotive fire boxes, andmore particularly to the control of air passing into thesame, my primaryobject being the provision of means adjacent to the air inlet opening,which will displace the usual laterally swinging fire door and whichwill function to direct the strong current of air that passes inwardlythrough the fire door opening, downwardly onto the fire in order toinsure that such air current strikes the fire several feet inwardlybeyond the fire door opening and spreads over the fire, meeting the heatflare coming from beneath the arch and bringing about the desiredchemical action for perfect combustion so that the black smoke will beconsumed as a result thereof. I

A further object of my invention is the provision of an air controlledapparatus which will function to keep the cold air close to the fire andaway from'the flue and crown sheets, bringing about a higher degree ofsuperh-eat and less back pressure than is usually the case, and whichwill in addition,

' function as a baffle to protect the fireman from the excessive heat ofthe fire box.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my present invention andforms a part of this specification Figure 1 is a front elevation showinga locomotive firebox equipped with my invention applied,

Figure 2 is a side view thereof,

r'igure 3 is a detail perspective view of certain portions of theconnections proposed b my invention, and

Figure 4 is a detail vertical section partially through the baffleplateor deflector.

Referring now to these figures, and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, Ihave shown a locomotive fire box in a general way at 101 having theusual framed fire door opening 11 for the entrance of air into the firebox. Ordinarily the frame 12 around the opening 11 supports a laterallyswinging door which is displaced in accordance with my invention infavor of a vertically swinging baffle member or deflector plate 13,secured along its upper edge in connection with a rod 141. This rodextends across the upper portion of the opening 11 and is turnable inbearing members 15 secured to the frame 12, whereby the balfle member ordeflector plate 13 is swingable vertically. The rod 14 1s extended atone side of the frame 12 and 13 provided with a threaded angular stem.1.6 on

which weights 17 may be disposed so as to counterbalance the deflectorplate and render it an easy matter to adjust the same as well as to holdit in adjusted position, and especially in its normal position in whichit inclines inwardly and downwardly at an angle of approximatelyforty-five degrees (45) as shown in Figure 1, so a's'to deflect theincoming aircurrent downwardly onto the fire in the fire boxas shown bythe arrows in Figure 2.

In order that the baffle member or deflector plate 13 may be raised tothe fully open position, a treadle bar 18 ishinged to the outside of thefire box below and at one side of the opening 11 and connected by acable or other suitable connection 19 to a lever 20, the connection 19being joined to this lever at a point' intermediate the ends .of thelatter as will be seen by reference to Figures 1 and 3.

At one end the lever 20 is pivotally mounted at 21 below the oil pan 22and at its opposite end said lever is connected by a series ofhingedlinks 23 with a lug 24 outstanding forwardly from the upper centralportion of the baflle member or deflector plate 13 so that theconnecting members 23 thus accommodate themselves to the swingingmovements of the lever 20 as well as the baffle member or deflectorplate 13.

The lever 20 is also provided near its free end with an upstanding stoplug 25, and the parts are so arranged that this stop lug comes intoengagement with the lower surface of the oil pan 22 when the bafflememher or deflector plate 1.3 is in its normal angular position abovedescribed.

Obviously, depression of the treadle bar 18 forces the free end of thelever 20 downwardly and, through the connections between this lever andthe baffle member or deflector plate 13, the latter is caused to swingin wardly and upwardly to its full open position. Immediately uponrelease of the treadle bar, however, the baflle member or deflectorplate 13 drops backto its normal position, as described.

As shown in Figure 4:, it is preferable that the baflle member ordeflector plate 13 be formed of two sections 26 and 27 having betweenthem a layer of asbestos and the like 28, due to which construction andthe fact that the relatively cool air entering the fire box strikes thebaflie member or deflector plate, enables the successfully wit-hstanding lug intermediate its ends, a lever plvoted at one'end toa;p,ort1on of the said support and having a flexible connectiondepending from its opposite end and between the same and the said battlelug including a series of hinged links, a treadle bar, and a flexibleconnection between the treadle bar and said. lever engaging the latterintermediate its ends.

2. In a locomotive firebox having an :air

feed opening and a projecting support above said opening, a battlemember hinged along its upper edge Within the upper portion of saidopening and having an angular outstanding lug intermediate its ends, alever pivoted at one end to a portion of the said support and having aflexible connee-- tion depending from its opposite end and between thesame and the said bafi'le lug ineluding a series of hinged links, atreadle bar, and a flexible connection bet 'ee'n the treadle bar andsaid lever engaging the latter intermediate its ends, said lever havingan upper angular extension at its free end engageable with the saidsupport to limit and prevent complete closing of the ire box opening.

JAMES NATHAN GLOVER.

